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Saturday, September 30, 2006
By David Vecsey
| Saturday, September 30, 2006, 12:21 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just hope this wasn’t Scott Mellanby’s best game of the season.
A goal and two assists against Nashville. Three points for Captain Rat! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
And it comes just a few days after I so callously insinuated that maybe the Thrashers would have been better off if Mellanby had retired. I clearly lit a fire under the guy. Oh, and you’re welcome.
I kid. And I will say that though I still don’t know how much Mellanby will have to offer on the ice in terms of production, there is no doubting the drive and the passion of this guy. His legs will certainly give out long before his heart. (Let’s just hope it’s not soon.) Kamal made a good point on the radio in regard to the value of Mellanby with all the young guys around; none of them will dare dog it when their 40-year-old captain is out there busting his hump.
Other observations/thoughts
Do we just let the good times roll after a preseason win? Or dare we point out that the power play again looked (OK, sounded … I was listening on the radio) a little out of joint … 1-for-7, by my count.
I think it’s going to be tough to keep Steve McCarthy out of the lineup. Granted, I’m an offensive-minded fan, I admit, but I love his puck movement and his opportunism. At the least, I’d like to see him get some time on the point with Ilya on the PP. Maybe that leaves too much liability, I don’t know. But when he gets a chance to play, he always seems to produce opportunities. And if I remember right, didn’t Waddell have McCarthy high on his draft list in ‘99? So clearly he’s going to get a chance.
So what does that do for the defense: Sutton, Exelby, Havelid, Vishnevski, de Vries are givens, I believe … Hnidy and McCarthy would be my other two. And when Coburn’s ready, you’ve got a decision to make, because I think they really want to see him with the big club this season.
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